17 PTF CVs campaign

An observing campaign is being carried out next week on 17 cataclysmic variables using the William Herschel Telescope. The PI is Roque Ruiz-Carmona (Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands).

Observers are requested to take ONE image of each of as many of the targets on the list as possible during a certain window on July 21-22 UT and POST THE IMAGE(S) TO THIS THREAD, one image per posting. The PI will view and retrieve the images from this thread.

This campaign is a little unusual in that images are requested. They will be used to help determine the final target list for the WHT observations.

I very much appreciate your post. The targets and requirements for this campaign fall in the boundary between visual and CCD observing. I certainly didn't intend to exclude anyone who can visually observe faint enough for this campaign. Anyone who can contribute data that will be helpful to the PI is encouraged to participate.

We didn't specifically include visual observations because the targets are all so faint at minimum, and the PI needs to know not only whether an outburst might be underway but also at what stage the outburst is (e.g., just starting, full-blown, winding down, etc.) and most of those magnitudes would likely be too faint for visual observations; he needs to know just how bright the target is. We asked for images rather than magnitudes because taking an image and just posting it is faster than reducing it to a magnitude, and there is not much time between the AAVSO observing window itself and the submission window closing. The idea is to take the image and get it to the PI as fast as possible and let him evaluate it.

If you can obtain a positive visual observation (or a fainter-than that is reasonably below outburst magnitude level), please go ahead (use the sequence available via VSP) and post it on this thread and submit it to the AID.

Thanks again for your post, and for wanting to participate and contribute!

Very interesting campaign. If weather is ok next Tuesday, I can take images of these targets using a 12" newton and a Rc filter, but due to the high light pollution that surrounds my observatory, if the star is fainther than 18th mag. it will be very difficult to detect it (may be stacking a couple of images...). I don't know if it is valuable an image where the star is not visible.

Thank you so much for your interest in the campaign! The observations are very timely for my research.

There are a few targets fainter than 18 in quiescence, but they might be brighter if they are outbursting. Even non-detections are useful, because I could interpret that as quiescence if I see other stars in the field. Fits format is preferred.

A REVISED table containing the targets for Roque Ruiz-Carmona's campaign on 17 PTF CVs (see AAVSO Alert Notice 524) has been posted here. The following revisions (shown in bold in the table) have been made:

1) This revision is the most important. The target V592 Her (old PTF ID PTFS1116cc) is still a target, but the COORDINATES and PTF ID GIVEN WERE INCORRECT. The table contains the correct coordinates and PTF ID for V592 Her. Note that there is no PTF finder chart for V592 Her=PTFS1116ca in the file of finder charts provided by the PI; charts should be made using VSP.

2) The object PTFS1116cc is NOT a target for this campaign; please ignore the finder chart given for it.

3) Some Primary Names have been revised to easier, more familiar names. Please use these names when submitting observations to the AID.

4) The ranges provided by the PI were based on light curves that were in some cases poor, thus, some of the values have a very large error. In order to give the observer more information as to how bright the system may be, especially at quiescence, the range from VSX has been added.

My sincere apologies for any confusion these revisions may cause. Thank you very much for obtaining images of these targets and posting them immediately to this forum for the PI to review.

I know its a day early for this campaign, but I have access to the RC24 tonight (Monday JD 7224) after 10:30 pm EDT. I thought I would go after some of the faint ones, just in case the weather is bad for others planning to observe. I may have some time tomorrow (Tues--7225) after a private open night.

I got them all last night/this morn. I know its a day early, but I considered it a dry run. It was a terrible night here, FWHM of 6-7. Hope tomorrow is better. I can post them, but I would prefer to hold them for now, and hope for better conditions tomorrow night. If everyone gets skunked tomorrow, they may be of some use.

Oh Yea, BTW: I did not see any outbursts, but did not look too carefully. Will do that in the am.

Outbursts are pretty spectacular, and sometimes only a quick look to the images is enough. If we catch any of them outbursting tonight, the outburst must be starting based on your images. This is great!!

Had a chance to calibrate last nights images, and they are not great, but they are all better than FWHM under 5 arc secs. They do not look as bad as last night at the computer with a low res monitor.

1. I did detect something on two objects. PTSF1118x and PTXF1122t. Had them at 14.0 and 14.7, which is above quiescence. It was hard to make sure, as the objects and nearby stars are not clearly defined. Did 5 minute exposures with a 24 inch in V, with high thin cirrus. Suggest you go more. Also, finder chanrts are in R, and took V images. Would R images be more useful? Don't Know. Rogue, any suggestions if we have a choice.

2. Forcast poor for tonight. Will keep the faith. The other 15 objects showed no sign of outburst. Image detection level about 16.0 to 16.4--thats measuring in V frames, using the R values for calibration. So apples and oranges.

First image. VW CrB taken through a Newton 12" f/4, CCD SBIG ST-8XME bin 1 (resolution, 1.55"/px) and Cousins Rc filter (all images I post have been taken with the same equipment). The star is not visible (limit mag. about 19th). 600" exposure

Attached the link to see my last night images of this Campaign. As you can see I've copy Astrometrica Software information of each star to display the correct location and a preliminary photometry (CR) of them. If you need another kind of image do not hesitate to ask. The night was not very good due to the strong wind I suffered all night, but at least I could see 7 goals.

I have attempted to attach the FITS files from the 17. Poor night, but usable. Had a little over a 2 hour window of usable sky. I do have some issue with the focuser, so the images are not well focussed.

I have attempted to attach the FITS files from the 17. Poor night, but usable. Had a little over a 2 hour window of usable sky. I do have some issue with the focuser, so the images are not well focussed.

I took images of both PTFS1117q and PTFS1123n with an 80mm f/4.5 refractor w/Orion SkyGlow filter. I hope these help, this is my first submission, let me know if there's anything I can do to make them better (other than invert them, I couldn't find any of the software I had to do that)

This is the final update of the campaign. I observed very extensively PTFS1119h, which seemed to be in superoutburst. It is the first system that I'm able to study during superoutburst, so looking forward to the results.

Thanks a lot to everyone! I am preparing another campaign for the end of August, hope I can count on you. :)